Sewing accessory



June 2, 1936. E. e. LEWIS SEWING ACCESSORY Filed Aug. 4, 1954 //v VEN TOR Edwdro G Lew/'5,

Patented June 2, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SEWING ACCESSORY Edward G. Lewis, Columbus,'0hio Application August 4, 1934, Serial No. 738,395

15 Claims.

The present invention provides an accessory especially adaptable for sewing, the device of the invention providing a means for retaining a spool of thread to prevent the same from becoming lost while enabling the thread to be used from the spool freely as desired, which always keeps the spool in orderly manner with the thread instantly available and untangled, and which may be kept in an ordinary work or sewing basket while preventing tangling of the thread when being jostled and handled in order to find other articles in the work basket. 4

More particularly, the device ofthe present invention provides a holder, for one or more spools of thread, whereby the spool or spools will be securely held so that the thread will not become excessively unwound at any time while nevertheless enabling the thread to be freely withdrawn from the spool as required.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of the above indicated character which provides for instant visibility of all the spools mounted thereon, enabling ready selection of the color and size of the thread desired.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of the above indicated character which maybe held in one hand in any position while the desired length of thread may be pulled from the selected spool and severed with the other hand.

A further object of the invention is to provide ,a device of the above indicated character which is cheap to manufacture, is readily portable, and may be placed wherever desired and convenient for the use of the thread on the spool as desired, and, which may be kept at all times in a work-basketor sewing-basket, allowing the thread to be unwound from the spool as required without causing withdrawal of excessive amounts of thread, and preventing the likelihood of the thread becoming tangled with accompanying inconvenience and wastage of thread.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of the indicated character which need not be attached to ant supporting surface other than the base upon which the device is mounted so that the device of the present invention may be hung up or lain down or carelessly thrown in a sewing basket and still perform its functions as readily as otherwise, the entire device may be held in one hand in any position while the desired length of thread may be pulled from the selected spool and severed with the other hand.

A still further object is to provide a device of the indicated character in which the spool is held against a resilient wiper which acts to hold all of the turns of thread in their respective position, and at the same time wipes the thread free from dirt or dust as it is drawn off the spool.

Other objects of the invention will appear hereinafter as the description proceeds, the features of novelty being clearly set forth in the specification and defined in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a plan view of one form of the device, showing a form of device for holding a number of spools illustrating the position of the spools and the manner in which the thread may be conveniently cut or severed at the desired lengths.

Figure 2 is a sectional elevation taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 3 is a plan view of a different form of holder, parts being broken away for clarity.

Figure 4 is a sectional view through the handle, taken on the line 44 of Figure 3, looking in the direction of the arrows, and showing a convenient shape of the handle.

Figure 5 is a side elevation of the form of holder shown in Figure 3.

It will be seen from an inspection of the drawing that the invention in its various forms embodies the common feature of a friction pad or member with which the spool contacts and a means for holding the spool in such frictional relationship to the pad; whether this means happens to be the supportfor the spool or a separate and independent element. 3

With this general concept in mind, reference is now made to the accompanying drawing, wherein the device in all its forms comprises a suitable base A of suitable material, such as wood, or metal, or combination thereof, which base is provided with a handle B, whichmay have a hole C therethrough for enabling the device to be hung from any desired convenient support, or retained in any convenient location. Each form of the device shows a plurality of spools D mounted on the holder, which spools may be of different sizes or of the same size.

In the form of the device shown in Figures 1 and 2, the base A is provided with a plurality of recesses or pockets 8, each of which is adapted to receive a spool of thread D. These recesses 8 are formed by rolling a single sheet of metal 8a so that the recesses 8 form parallel U-shaped troughs, separated by a longitudinally extending rib 9.

The recesses 8.are divided into individual spool compartments by transversely extending ribs So, these ribs 9a and ends of the sheet 8a being welded or soldered or otherwise secured to the main base A; or the sheet 8a may be cast or stamped from a light metal, such as aluminum, or it may be made from wood or composition material, the recesses 8 being formed by machining. The space between the recesses 8 may be filled, if desired, with felt or the like, 9b, to serve as. a pin or needle cushion, there. being conveniently a short length of such material near either'end of the device. The bottoms Ill of the recesses 8 are provided with friction pads I 4, as will be hereinafter I described in greater detail. Rivets, or equivalent securing members ll secure the resilient strips or fingers I2 and H11 in position, these strips extending across the spool compartments transversely of the recesses 8.

The effect of these strips is clearly shown in Figure 2, whence it will be seen that both where the spool is fully wound with thread as indicated at l3, or where the thread has been substantially all removed, .the strips will nevertheless con- .tinuously press on the spools to force them against the before-mentioned friction pads I with which the pockets 8 are desirably substantially lined. The strips or fingers l2 and Ho assure the retention of different sizes of spools in the respective pockets while preventing accidental displacement of the spools from the respective pockets, yet enabling ready insertion and removal of the spools when so desired. Strips or fingers l2 are shown as being sprung up over a large spool. It will be understood that the strips l2 and [2a are just long enough to extend over the edge of the device sufiiciently to allow for a finger grip to raise the strips for inserting a spool; and while the strips l2 and 12a are freely bendable, they are sufficiently stiff to securely hold the respective spools in position and to firmly press the spools against the friction pads I4, which pads are made conveniently of felt or analogous yieldable or resilient material. As will be seen also, sharp-edged lugs l5 may be provided which serve to sever the thread at the desired length.

In Figure 3 the base A is provided with a plurality of friction pads 20, arranged in parallel alignment and spaced apart as indicated at 2|, thereby exposing bare strips of the base A between the pads 20, these bare strips 2| providing means to which spring clips 22 may be soldered or otherwise suitably secured, as indicated at 23, for example. The clips are arranged to enter the holes 25 of the spools at each end thereof, the clips 22 being provided with inwardly extending fingers 24, the resiliency of the clips urging the ends 24 continuously towards each other, which action is increased by the action of the vertical spring coils 28 of the clips, so that each spool will be firmly gripped in a manner that will be apparent, yet each spool is readily removable by pulling upon the clips with suflicient force to separate them and to withdraw the inwardly extending fingers or tips 24 from the holes 25 of the spools. Beneath each spool D there is located one of the aforesaid resilient friction pads 20, of felt, sponge rubber, or the like, firmly cemented to the base A, the spools D being pressed against the pads 20 by the action of the horizontal spring coils 21, these coils imparting vertical resiliency to the spools D so as to enable the spools to turn easily about the inwardly projecting tips or fingers 24 as supports. The horizontal coils 21 also properly space the clips 22 relative to the spools D so that the tips '24 may be maintained always in proper alignment. The handle B may be concaved as indicated at 29 for additional convenience in handling and so as to better fit the hand when the device is being held.

An upstanding cutting lug 30 is provided, having double thread-severing edges 3! and 32, for conveniently severing the thread 33 at desired lengths.

It will be apparent from the drawing that the spool holder of this invention is adapted, in its various modifications, to receive interchangeably,

spools of different diameters. This is clearly shown in Figures 1 and 2, where different sizes of spools are clearly illustrated; and it will be seen that the spools are held firmly against both longitudinal and lateral displacement by the resilient members which hold the spools in place. It also is apparent that any of the spools may be removed from or replaced on the holder without disturbing, in any way, the remaining spools.

While certain novel features of the invention have beendisclosed and are pointed out in the annexed claims, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions, and changes may be made by those skilled in the art, and that it is intended and desired to embrace within the scope of this invention such modifications and changes as may be necessary to adapt it to varying conditions and uses.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

l. A spool holder comprising the combination.

with a base provided with a plurality of compartments in longitudinal and transverse alignment relative to the base, each of the compartments being adapted to receive a spool ofthread therein, of a resilient finger extending across contiguous compartments, means intermediate the ends of the finger for securing the finger to the base, and a friction pad in each compartment engaged by the spool, the resilient finger retaining the spools in the respective compartments independently of the position or location of the base and for continuously pressing the spool into engagement with the pad while preventing accidental unwinding of thread from the spool.

2. A spool holder comprising the combination with a base, of a spool support on the base, and a friction pad secured to the base adapted to be engaged by a spool mounted on the spool support, the said spool support including cooperating resilient spring-mounted clips having inwardly extending fingers for entering the spool to hold the same, the spool support maintaining the spool held on the fingers in substantially continuous engagement with the pad independently of the position of the base.

3. A spool holder comprising the combination with a base, of a spool support on the base, and a friction pad secured to the base adapted to be engaged by a spool mounted on the spool support including cooperating clips having inwardly extending fingers for entering the spool to hold the same, vertical and horizontal coil spring mountings for the clips, the said spool support maintaining the spool held on the fingers in substantially continuous engagement with the pad independently of the position of the base.

4. A spool holder comprising the combination with a base, of a spool support on the base including cooperating clips having inwardly extending fingers for entering the spool to hold the same, vertical and horizontal coil spring mountings for the clips, the said spool support normally maintaining the spool against accidental unwinding of thread thereon.

5. A spool holder comprising the combination with a base, of a spool support on the base, a friction member adapted to engage the thread of a spool carried by the support to wipe the thread as it is removed from the spool, and means engaging the spool in opposition to the friction member and positioned to cause the spool to be pressed against the friction member for holding the spool against accidental displacement in all directions from its position on the base.

6. A spool holder comprising the combination with a base adapted to receive a spool of any size, of a member adapted to engage a spool on the base for effecting a wiping action on thread being removed from the spool, and means comprising spring fingers engaging any size spool for pressing the spool lengthways against the said member for gripping the spool between the member and the said means, thereby positively holding the spool in position irrespectively of the position or location of the base.

7. A spool holder comprising the combination with a base adapted to receive a plurality of spools, of a plurality of spool-engaging members on the base adapted to exert a wiping action on the spools for wiping thread on the spools as the thread is removed therefrom, and resilient fingers directly pressing against the spools for pressing the spools laterally lengthways against the spool-engaging members for positively holding the spools in position relative to the base irrespectively of its position or location, each of the said spools being held in, position on the holder independently of the other spools and each spool being insertable in position on the holder and removable therefrom without disturbing any of the remaining spools.

8. A spool holder comprising the combination with a base, of spool-receiving compartments in the base adapted to receive spools of different sizes, a wiping element within each compartment adapted to wipe thread on the respective spools as the thread is removed therefrom, and means resiliently pressing the spools against the wiping elements and securing the spools in position in the respective compartments irrespective of the size of the spools while enabling any spool to be removed or replaced without disturbance of the remaining spools.

9. A spool holder comprising the combination with a base, of independent spool-receiving recesses in the base, a yieldable wiper in each of the recesses for wiping thread on the respective spools as the thread is withdrawn from the spools, and resilient means for pressing thespools in the recesses against the wipers for retainingthe spools in the recesses in any position of the spool holder, while permitting the spools to freely turn in the recesses for removal of thread therefrom and enabling removal and replacement of any spool without disturbance of the remaining spools.

10. A spool holding device comprising a base member having a plurality of spool holding means arranged in parallel rows and spaced from each other, each of the said -holding means being capable of accommodating spools of different sizes, retaining means positively engaging each of the said spools for independently holding the spools in operative relation with respect to the respective holding means and preventing displacement of said spools from said holding means in any position assumed by the holding device, the said holding device including compressible wiping means directly contacting with thread on the spools for cleaning the thread from dust and lint as the thread is removed from the spools and for maintaining all unused thread wound snugly on the spool.

11. A spool holding device comprising a base member having a plurality of spool holding pockets arranged in parallel rows and spaced from each other, the said pockets being capable of accommodating spools of different sizes, unitary spring retaining fingers extending substantially across the said pockets and positively engaging the thread on each of the said spools for independently holding the spools in operative relation with respect to the respective pockets irrespective of the size of the spools in the said pockets and preventing displacement of the said spools from the said pockets in any position assumed by the holding device, securing means for the said fingers intermediate the ends thereof and intermediate the parallel rows of pockets, the said securing means thereby securing the said fingers to the holding device between the rows of pockets while leaving free the end portions of the fingers for pressing upon the spools in the said pockets, and compressible wiping means in the said pockets directly contacting with the thread I on the spools for cleaning the thread from dust and lint incident to removal of the thread from the spools and for maintaining all unused thread wound snugly on the spool. I

12. A spool holder comprising the combination with a base, of spool retaining means on the base for interchangeably receiving spools of difierent sizes, a yieldable wiper pad adapted to engage thread on a spool carried on the retaining means, and spring means engaging the spool and frictionally securing the spool in yieldable engagement with the pad irrespectively of the size of the spool and of the position or location of the base.

13. A spool holder comprising the combination with a base, of spool retaining means on the base adapted to receive interchangeable spools of different dimensions, a friction pad with which thread on a spool in-engagement with the retaining means contacts, spring means for holding the spool in frictional engagement with the pad independently 'of the position or location of the base and being automatically compensating for spools of different diameters, and means on the base associated with the spool support for enabling severing of thread at predetermined lengths.

14. A spool holder comprising the combination with abase, of spool retaining means on the base adaptedto receive interchangeably spools of different dimensions, a friction pad with which thread on a spool in engagement with the retaining means contacts, and spring means for holding the spool in frictional engagement with the pad independently of the position of the base and being automatically compensating for spools of different diameters.

15. A spool holder comprising the combination with a base, of a spool support on the base, a yieldable pad adapted to engage and wipe thread ona spool of thread carried on the support, and spring means entering the spool for holding the spool in frictional engagement with thefriction 70 member irrespectively of the position or location, of the base.

EDWARD G. LEWIS. 

